Key takeaways from Integration of Passenger and Freight Transport webinar

Wednesday, May 28th, 2025

On 23 May 2025, ALICE hosted a webinar exploring an innovative concept in urban logistics: the integration of passenger and freight transport. With congestion and environmental challenges on the rise, cities are increasingly looking to shared infrastructure and mobility services as a way to reduce emissions, optimise urban space, and improve efficiency.

The session brought together over 80 participants from across Europe to examine how research and innovation (R&I) projects are applying these concepts in real-life scenarios. Representatives from three Horizon Europe-funded projects- DELPHI, URBANE, and ULTIMO– shared valuable lessons and early results from their pilot activities. The programme also featured a special presentation by La Poste, showcasing an innovative national initiative outside the EU project framework.

Key objectives

Present pioneering concepts that merge passenger and freight transport systems.
Share lessons learned from pilot implementations across European cities.
Discuss policy and operational implications for urban mobility stakeholders.
Stimulate future collaboration and scale-up opportunities.

Highlights from the presentations

La Poste – Operational innovation in focus
A special presentation by Johan Leveque of La Poste Group highlighted the Strasbourg pilot, where trams are used for parcel deliveries during off-peak hours. This initiative demonstrates the potential of underused urban transport capacity and the importance of regulatory alignment and cooperation with local authorities.

DELPHI – Madrid Use Case
Rafael Villa Martínez from Metro de Madrid presented how the urban metro network is being adapted for last-mile parcel delivery. DELPHI explores innovative co-modality business models and governance frameworks that allow freight to share existing public transport infrastructure.

URBANE – Karlsruhe Use Case
Thomas Benz of AE-Network discussed a bold experiment in robot-assisted deliveries via trams. The project evaluates how automated delivery vehicles (ADVs), when combined with public transport networks, can improve last-mile logistics in cities.

ULTIMO – Autonomous Urban Logistics
Olivier Starkenmann (OVO Logistique Urbaine) introduced ULTIMO’s approach to extending autonomous passenger mobility to freight delivery. The project investigates how shared autonomous shuttles can serve dual roles, optimizing both people and parcel flows.

Panel reflections and future outlook

In the closing panel, speakers emphasized:

The need for regulatory flexibility to support co-modality.
Challenges around infrastructure compatibility, safety standards, and scheduling.
Opportunities to scale up through public-private partnerships and data-driven logistics planning.

Key takeaways

Integrated systems can significantly reduce urban congestion and carbon emissions.
Real-world pilots show strong potential, but policy support and cross-sector collaboration are essential.
The transition to shared urban mobility calls for holistic planning that considers both passenger experience and logistics demands.

For more information, contact info@etp-logistics.eu or explore the projects at:
DELPHI Project | URBANE Project | ULTIMO Project

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